​I began The White Peacock because of the tremendous needs I saw in families in my community in central India. It seems easy to help the poor; just give them what they need.Yes, you can care for children in orphanages, or you can help parents keep their children. You can rescue women from trafficking or you can help them before they become desperate. You can give handouts or you can give them the tools to pull their way up; developing the ability to sustain it in the long run.We chose the harder path- the better path. It's a longer path, but once on it the women can thrive alone and keep moving forward.​This month we have found ourselves in a national lockdown. Thankfully, our women were paid for their work for the month a few days before the lockdown started. They are all doing well. We also pre-paid them for work again this week so they will be able to get what they need for their families, as most of their husbands are no longer working either. Finally after 3 weeks of checking and making sure everyone was safe and provided for we began to reach out.I am most proud of our women for the heart to reach out. See, for years, they were told they were poor, needed help and to always ask for assistance. Slowly, I was not even aware when, they began to not see themselves as poor but able to help others. It started when we donated handmade items for the children in the burn unit at Christmas a few years back and it continues.As India began to face a shortage of available masks our members began sending me samples and asking if they could create some to donate. They did not have fabric in their homes (no she-sheds here) so they needed us to provide it. As soon as we did- they started sewing. Today was the first day they assembled masks and they sewed 185 for us to donate to local hospitals!I am proud of our women for many reasons, but the greatest success is that they have moved from needing a blessing to being a blessing. We are excited about where God will take us next!

I attempt to visit every home of our women every year. It's a huge task since we have 60 working members and others who are not on the roll but come often. A home visit includes walking down crowded alleys, searching for homes by the name of women in the house- something very few people know, and crowding into thier front room...if they have one.

The first time I visited Kavita's home we had a difficult time finding it. Mainly because it appeared to be a small shed behind her landlords house. It was made of pallets, tin and discarded boards and had no electricity or running water. She was much poorer than I expected- and I have been in some very poor places. ​

We sat on hand knitted rugs made from recycled sarees on the dirt floor while Kavita made coffee for us in her kitchen, which was a small stove on the floor, just feet from her bed. She only had the one room to sleep and cook in. We talked about her life and her work with The White Peacock.

Kavita is a widow. She has a daughter in college but no one else who helps her financially support her family. Her daughter has joined her in working and splitting household chores since Kavita lost her husband over 10 years ago.

Recently, Kavita had brought us a colorful design made of fabric scraps that she sourced from local tailor shops. She folded and sewed bright squares of cotton fabric to create a trivet. It was a lot of work but she did it quickly and perfectly. (Through the years several of our other members have attempted to make something similar but have not been able to reproduce her quality). Kavita's trivets sold well for several years.

In 2016 we had the idea to turn the beautiful design into a tree skirt. It was much bigger than anything she created before and she came to our weekly meeting several times, shaking her head, saying the sample still wasn't ready. When she brought the completed prototype I wasn't sure what to think. It was clearly a work of art but who would buy this? And for how much? I sent pictures to several of our corporate partners and they all said no. I didn't ask Kavita to make another one.

The first Christmas I went to the USA for holiday sale events it was the most expensive item on the table yet was the very first item sold at the very first event of the season! The customer took a picture of it under her tree and posted it on our page. All the sudden we had a wait list for 20 of our tree skirts! Only God can do that!

Kavita was overwhelmed with the order for 20 skirts but since Christmas was past we knew she had a year to work on them. Kavita now makes one tree skirt a month. Her annual income jumped from $200 a year to $1200 a year because of your purchase from our fair trade shop.

This is our passion- to offer you a high quality, unique item that blesses a family through your purchase. You have changed Kavita's life. She now thrives, not just survives, can go to the doctor when she is sick and is supporting her daughter so she can go to college and rise from the poverty she was raised in- all because of fabric scraps and a tree skirt.

Thank you for changing lives through your intentional shopping. You can buy her tree skirt here.

This tree skirt was made by Sunita and is a similar design. It is shown here under a tree in Kentucky, USA along with our saree gift bags, available online.

Our Saree Baskets are one of our best selling items. Sunita designed our baskets with lids. She does beautiful work and we went to her home to see how she makes them.

Sunita lives in a tin shed slum with thousands of others. Most homes have no running water so the women must collect water in pots on their heads each day and carry it home. The only electricity is stolen directly off the open wires. An electrical shock would be deadly. They are thankful to have a light bulb to work by night though.

Sunita makes baskets for The White Peacock as a way to earn income. She has 4 children of her own and must be at home caring for them. For years her family suffered trying to live on one income. Her husband is a labourer and brings home less than $3 a day. It's isn't enough for her family to live on. Through her business she is able to earn twice as much as her husband! Thank you for purchasing her baskets. You have literally tripled her families income, allowed them to get some needed medical care, send their children to school and go to bed with food in their stomachs. What a difference a basket can make!

Each basket is made from recycled sarees that are first cut into strips. Next straw is used to tightly wrap around sticks before wrapping in saree fabric. It is tedious work that puts blisters on your hands but Sunita does it quickly and beautifully. More importantly, she does it with a smile on her face in the comfort of her own home watching her children work on their homework for the day. She has learned that her skills CAN help her support her family- thanks to you!

The Widow's Plight In India

​Once upon a time in ancient India, a woman who lost her husband was struck with the inconsolable plight of bearing that grief for the rest of her life, if the community﻿allowed her to live﻿, that is. Today, remnants of these ancient practices remain woven into society. The burden a widow must carry varies throughout the country, with rural areas remaining among the worst places for a widow to live.

In some places, she will be considered in her community as a bearer of bad luck, unable to attend weddings or certain celebrations. In others, she will be forced to lay down her gold and colored clothes in exchange for a simple white sari, the marking of her shame. And still, in others, she will be stigmatized for not being able to protect her husband’s life well enough. Only a few lucky ones are able to remarry or at least live happily in their children’s homes.

In India, many widows are considered burdens on their family, and bearers of bad-luck.

Meet Sunhala

Sunhala is a widow. When her husband passed away five years ago she faced many of the griefs mentioned above. No longer was she seen as a viable member of her household and the shame she experienced doubled upon her already grieving heart.

For several years, her daughter-in-law had been making handicrafts at home and earning a stable income. Sunhala noticed the way her daughter-in-law would always come home from weekly business meetings encouraged and inspired for the week ahead. She wanted to come along with her to see what her work was all about and wondered if she could do something too. She had never really experimented with her creative ability and was doubtful of any skills she might possess. Nevertheless, she was desperate for something and came to a meeting at The White Peacock one Monday afternoon.

How The White Peacock Impacted Sunhala's Life

Being surrounded by creative, kind women, many of whom were just like her, made Sunhala feel alive again. For the couple of hours she spent at The White Peacock, Sunhala didn’t feel like “the burden” or “the widow.” For a few hours, she just felt like herself again.

She received some guidance and explored her talents and creativity. She discovered that she had an amazing ability to crochet that she had never considered significant. She went home and crocheted doilies and coasters. After submitting her designs, she was floored to see they were a hit!

Now, Sunhala makes these lovely crocheted goods all week long. She says that she feels useful again and has found a renewed sense of purpose in being able to help her family financially. She looks forward to the Monday meetings all week long and has found many friends from the community of artisans.

Next time you place that pitcher of lemonade or tea on one of these beautiful coasters, remember Sunhala and her story. Together we can provide HOPE again to women in need around the world.

Support Suhala's Home Business

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Think back to where you were at 19-years-old. Did you pay your way through college? Did your parents give you a free pass?

Some of you may have a story of untold responsibility at a young age. Some of you may be unable to comprehend such a burden placed on a teenager. Either way, for most of us, we at least had a few options to pay for our college education.

The Sad Reality Behind Access To Higher Education In India

The reality for many young girls in rural India is that a college education isn't promised, and the alternatives can be grim. In fact,according to a studydone by development economist,Abusaleh Shariff of the Delhi-based Centre for Research and Debates in Development Policy and Amit Sharma, research analyst at the National Council of Applied Economic Research,only 10% of college-aged students in India have access to higher education.In some places throughout the country, this number can drop to just 4% of women that have access to higher education.

In some areas of India, just 4% of women have access to higher education.

The Inspiring Young Entrepreneur Changing Society

Pooja, like many young girls in India, wasn't promised an education, and most certainly couldn't guarantee her future would hold a well-paying, stable job. She had a desperate desire to further her high school level education, and the hope in her eyes could prove wrong anyone who discouraged her.

A Bright Future Through Education

Pooja came to theWhite Peacockwith her mom and sister in 2013. While her mom created designs to provide for her family, Pooja used her talents to create goods that would help give her the college education she desired.

She was able to work from home, with her mom and sister, exploring the creative talents she had within her. Pooja's entire family had a knack for embroidered work. This young lady loved to explore what new designs she could make with her hands.

One day, Pooja brought in a sample of a fabric, embroidered journal. Thin thread, weaved in-and-out of brightly colored fabric, displayed the picture of a beautiful peacock, India's national bird. From this day on, things began to change for Pooja.

Pooja's Embroidered Journals

Her embroidered journals were a hit, selling well from the start. She's made a huge variety of journals, but herEmbroidered Peacock Journalshave always been the best seller.

A Transformed Life For Pooja

During the past few years that Pooja's been creating with us, she's earned over $900 toward her college education! This is a huge amount of money for that area, and something her parents were simply unable to provide for her.

When you purchase an embroidered journal or Sari Pin bracelet, you're not just spending getting a beautiful item. Your purchases are quite literally putting this girl through college and transforming her family's life!

Thank YOU from the bottom of our hearts for supporting Pooja and the 59 other incredible ladies of The White Peacock!

When people like you chose to use their buying power for good, lives and entire communities are transformed.

Together, let's break the cycle of poverty and educate more young women like Pooja!